We are all familiar with the challenges to the health and wellbeing of vet teams when working in practice. It is important for both employers and employees to look for ways to support and protect veterinary professionals’ health and wellbeing though creating safe working environments, a culture that promotes self-care, good physical and mental health, psychological safety and effective ways to manage workplace stress.
Yoga is one of the tools that research has found can be helpful in managing stress. Yoga can focus on breathing, strength and flexibility amongst other benefits. It is a form of mind-body therapy that involves a combination of muscular activity and an internally directed mindful focus on awareness of the self, the breath and energy.
Readers of Veterinary Woman can benefit from a 10% discount on an individual VetYogi Collective subscription, which makes online yoga and meditation services available to busy practice staff. Read on for further information.
How can yoga help?
Chloe Hannigan, a practicing vet and founder of VetYogi, which offers yoga and meditation services by veterinary professionals, for veterinary professionals, feels passionately about offering evidence-based wellness tools that work, in ways that are realistic and accessible for busy practice staff.
“One of the ways yoga can help to tackle stress is through the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. Just a five minute focus on deep breathing can help to reduce the cycle of stress and shallow breathing when we are feeling stressed and anxious.”
Shallow breathing activates the sympathetic nervous system which has negative physiological effects on our cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems, which in turn increases our feelings of stress and anxiety.
In the short-term, shallow breathing can affect our respiratory and heart rates, blood pressure and cortisol levels. It can cause muscular tension, hypercapnoea, cognitive impairment, panic attacks and respiratory accessory muscle fatigue. In the longer-term, these effects can lead to disrupted sleep, postural changes, musculoskeletal injuries, decreased immune function, cardiovascular disease and exacerbation of co-existing respiratory disease.
Practicing yoga, with its focus on breathing and muscular activity, can help to instead to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, turning this negative cycle around and promoting healthier habits for our mind and body.
Try a free self-care yoga session:
“Women particularly are conditioned to put everyone else’s needs before our own,” says Chloe, “so we can often benefit from forming new habits that focus on our own self-care. I know how difficult it can be to make time in a busy life, but every little helps: 5-10 minutes of yoga a few times a week can make a significant difference.”
To improve the health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals, we need to find solutions that are evidence-based, practical and suited to individuals’ needs. Yoga can offer significant benefits to mental and physical wellbeing; and initiatives such as online services which can be enjoyed at any time, can be accessible to the whole team and contribute towards a healthier, happier profession.
To celebrate the launch of VetYogi Collective subscriptions, readers of Veterinary Woman can benefit from a 10% discount on online yoga and meditation services delivered by yoga teachers who understand first-hand the challenges veterinary roles can bring. Visit https://collective.vetyogi.com/ to find out more.
To redeem your discount code, please email hello@vetyogi.com quoting ‘Veterinary Woman discount’.
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